Night Shadows by Stephen Brayton

Author:Stephen Brayton [Brayton, Stephen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Mocha Memoirs Press
Published: 2021-05-06T22:00:00+00:00

No more! Please, no more!

More death. More pain. More blood.

She knew it was only the beginning.

Something laughed deep in her soul. The shadows?

Or her mind slowly going insane?

Lights blazed in Lori Campisi's hotel room. Not just the lamp next to the bed, the standing lamp by the recliner, the two over the desk, and the series of round bulbs in the bathroom—but also several lanterns Lori had purchased before returning to the hotel. These she'd positioned around the room to negate any shadowy corners, obliterating the gray in the desk's knee hole and near the door. The only place not completely lit was beneath the bed, but enough light shone she didn't think there would be any danger.

Lori had changed into sweats. She sat cross-legged on the bed, picking at the last of a tuna fish sandwich.

After dealing with Reverend Titus and the mob and finishing some paperwork at headquarters, Harry had headed back to the hospital while Lori sought out the nearest hardware store. She hoped to spend most of the night researching more about the shadows. She and Harry hadn't had a chance to seriously discuss the situation other than at lunch.

His reaction to her broaching the subject had been pretty much what she'd expected. With the attack on Misty coming on the heels of their initial discussion, followed by the incident at the hospital, and then the egotistical reverend, they hadn't found time to pursue the matter.

Besides, if Reznik thought the shadows were an outrageous idea, she couldn't imagine what his reaction would be regarding the Sarmangous.

The Book of Sarmangous.

Did the fabled grimoire truly exist somewhere in this vast world, under the care and protection of a Guardian? If so, where? How close might it be? Maybe within the Des Moines city limits?

More likely buried in some forgotten, foul-smelling dungeon or hidden in the deepest darkest jungles of Africa or South America.

However, if the book still remained undiscovered by seekers, what explanation for the shadows in the Iowa capital? As far as she knew, except in rare instances, the Sarmangous and the spells contained within were the only way to call forth shadow killers.

The exception, as she had mentioned to Harry, had been in Australia. In the case down under, the form the shadows took differed from the current situation, even if the casualties and fatalities were no less tragic.

A tribal chief, driven insane through isolation, heat, and narcotics, had used all but forgotten magic to call forth vengeful creatures of shadowy substance. The native chief wanted the dark spirits to avenge the wrongs the white man had inflicted on the Aboriginal inhabitants since the Botany Bay settlement.

Lori, dispatched to deal with the problem, hadn't taken time to examine the bodies or discuss matters with the local authorities. Instead, she'd used Hound and his computer expertise, and hired a local tracker to hunt down the chief. With cold, unemotional prowess, she ended the horror with one bullet. The shadows' essence, linked to the man's life-force, had dissipated with his death.

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